Do You Need a Sob Story to Get Into a Top College?

Short answer: Yes. In fact, if you have your own telethon, you are guaranteed admission.

Non-sarcastic answer: No. Save the drama and trauma for your autobiography. If you have a story that demonstrates resilience at a high level, mention the hurdle in as few words as possible and focus the rest of the story on showing how you overcame it, what you learned, and how you applied it elsewhere. That said, there are probably better traits and stories to share alongside that.

Fun fact: Your job is to make it easy for AOs to say yes to you. Nothing more, nothing less.